ARSENAL, Manchester United and Manchester City have been given a slight glimmer of hope in their bid to bring Lionel Messi to England after the Argentine superstar admitted he could leave Barcelona.

Messi - who plays at Old Trafford this evening against Portugal - has spent his whole career at the Camp Nou having moved to Spain as a teenager.

And while his love for Barcelona means most expect him to retire as a one-club man, the 27-year-old has revealed that is not necessarily the case.

Recent reports suggest that Arsenal missed out on signing Messi before he broke through at Barca, while there has been some speculation that the Manchester clubs could launch an audacious bid to sign the diminutive star.

Asked whether he was considering a move elsewhere, Messi told Ole: "No, today I live in the present. I want to make a great year and win titles with Barcelona. And nothing more.

While I always said that I would always stay there, sometimes not everything happens the way you want.

Lionel Messi

"Then we'll see. Football takes many turns... While I always said that I would always stay there, sometimes not everything happens the way you want.

"I've said it many times: if I had my way I would stay forever. But as I just said, it's not always given that you get everything you like.

"More so in football, which is constantly changing and so many things happen. It's complicated."

With Barcelona entering an uncertain phase with upcoming presidential elections likely to change the landscape in unpredictable ways, it remains to be seen whether a massive offer from England could persuade the Catalan outfit - not to mention Messi - to consider a sale.